Dr M: ‘Weak’ Najib won’t heed Malay concerns

The former premier said this is because the Malays are no longer the kingmakers and are now reduced to being ‘beggars’ in their own land.

KUALA LUMPUR: Dr Mahathir Mohamad today called the Najib administration “weak” and said it will not entertain the concerns of the Malays, especially its business community, as they are no longer the country’s kingmakers.

The former premier said the division among the country’s majority electorate has made them fragile and forced the present government to depend on the support of “others” in an apparent reference to the non-Malays.

This is the second time Mahathir had openly called Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s government “frail”, saying it is forced to make key concessions to non-Malay demands in the hope of winning their support in the upcoming national polls.

“I do not believe this government will take your demands seriously,” he told the 2012 Malay Economic Congress held here.

“This is because we [the Malays] no longer hold anymore political power… we have become a beggar in our own country,” he added.

The congress, in its resolutions passed today, criticised the Najib government for what it described as its failure to uphold the New Economic Policy, a system meant to enhance Bumiputera economic participation through race-based affirmative action programmes.

Mahathir claimed that Bumiputeras, forming 60% of the electorate of which the majority are Malays, are forced to fight for “what is theirs” silently as they feared being labelled as racists.

‘I am no racist’

The former prime minister, who served for 22 years, said however, if the non-Malays are vocal in protecting their interests they would not be viewed as racists.

“But I am not a racist. I want the wealth of this resource-rich nation to be shared equitably.

“I am not asking for much. We form 60% and we are only asking for 30% and they can take the rest. But even so, we are not getting the 30%,” he said, referring to the 30% equity ownership programme under the NEP.

Respectable leaders like Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah and former Umno No 2 and now Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim had said that corruption under the ruling coalition had caused the NEP to fail.

Up to now, since more than 30 years of its implementation, the target had only reached 19% due to abuses of the system often by cronies connected to the ruling party, Umno.

This was admitted by Mahathir himself who told the congress that many of the policies created by the government and aimed at helping the Malays were frequently abused.

“So don’t blame the government. Sometimes we have done much for you but you have abused it. You need to look at yourself and reflect,” he said.

Mahathir said he got rid of Badawi because he was weak but now he has the same thing in Najib and instead urging the Malays to support him..

Its so typical of his hypocrisy, doing the same thing but calling it another. Only when he gets what he wants does he says its OK even if the entire country becomes a basket case or the worst horrors are done in its name. Its NEVER his fault when it all goes terribly wrong…

How can the Malays become beggars in the country when they are in full control of almost everything that matters? Dr. M must be either too humble or is suffering from dementia. Those who have to beg for a place at matriculation class or public university, a scholarship, setting up of independent high school in Kuantan, more teachers to SRJK(C) etc are the veritable beggars! Don’t forget that the Indians are the most fragmented politically.

It 30% of the equity that will lift Malays economically? It all depend on the Malays treat this 30%. We all know NEP has been implemented for decades yet until today the main man still crying that he wants the 30% for the Malays. In facts in many sectors of business all are dominant by the Malays. When I say this I am not racist as Dr. M say he is not racist, I agreed.

Now why then Malays still seen to be behind other economically? It was the altitude that count now the matter giving 30%, some sector even given 100% like MAS. Instead of turning MAS in to glorious premier air line, he kaput the Airline. Why, simply it was given FREE. When it was FREE hand most people will not appreciate and not grateful. Simply it was free.

Air Asia was basically given FREE, but plus all the liabilities behind it. IT was not FREE. Instead this Accountant turn entrepreneur make AIR ASIA a premier air line within years. Air Aisa boss has a dream and he know if he do not make it he is finish. He will not given any help from the government. BUT in MAS case, the guy turn robbers because MAS has a lot of assets and cash, so instead of running business he just spent and steal all the money. Just like when a mouse has landed on the rice bowl. So FREE hand out instead of making Malays successful it has killed them off economically. NEP has crippled them make them greedy and ungrateful. Make them rely on the hand out all the time.

DR. M should set up a ALTITUDE training college, call GRATEFUL ALTITUDE MALAYS TRAINING COLLEGE, to bombard them with the right altitude, being grateful and most important hard working.

30% or or more, in fact if you administrated this NEO dosage up to 100%, you will killing them faster even economically.

The one thing Mahathir said that is true – HE IS NO INTELLECTUAL – and that is precisely the problem of those who continue to ask him for insights. He is a hack. When things were simply, it was tolerable of the damage his poor ideas caused but at this stage of our development, it just not good enough – our fundamentals have to be sound, execution at least good, mediocrity is not a choice, excellence a gift to be thankful and guarded.

And its not just his views are flawed. Mahathir ideas are malicious. He IS A HATER, not in every circumstances but HE IS A HATER. Hate is inherently flawed, inherently defeatist – its always temporary. Its also foreign to the Malay. Nik Aziz expressing appreciation for a DAP rep defending him after decades of divided politics – THAT is Malay..But for Mahathir, ihate is part of him and only temporarily hidden rather than the other way around

A weak government, by characteristics, is dysfunctional, cannot unite its people and draw on the social capital embedded in their unity, cannot construct effective formal institutions and structurally reform to build consensus and wide legitimacy amongst its peoples. If TDM says the Najib’s Administration is weak, the irony is that the principal cause of that weakness is the former premier himself. First he anoints successors whom he deems weak and susceptible to do his will (after he left office); then when he tries to build consensus with 1 Malaysia, take tentative steps to deconstruct the NEP by financial liberalization, give accreditation to TARC diplomas, institute RCI on Sabah immigrants, he publicly criticizes, gives patronage to Perkasa to oppose, by statements on race and religion, divide the people more etc by raising Malay vs Non Malay concerns, who are beggars in their own country etc) and when the government relents to his pressure and seem indecisive ‘cakap tak serupa bikin’!, you turn around and say its weak, when that weakness is lot due to your castigation, instigation, criticism, words and actions past & present. Come on man if you think that all your successors are all incompetent, that you can do better show to preserve your legacy, you should not have resigned. Don’t resign on your own and then after that keep interfering how your own anointed successors do their jobs.

He laments that because Najib administration is “weak” and cannot entertain the concerns of the Malays, especially its business community, they are no longer the country’s kingmakers. It is a quaint choice of words – “Kingmakers” instead of “King”. Its not entirely logical: for if otherwise the administration were strong and concerns of Malays were addressed -so that Malays become “Kingmakers”- then who is the King? It only shows the man who says this is obsessed with word and role of “kingmaker” that he even uses the word inappropriately in this context. Yet we see this kind of people who in certain situations love being defacto king makers than the actual king. The French call him éminence grise (“gray eminence”) the equivalent to English Kingmaker or Man Behind The Throne. A man with manipulative bent of mind likes this. He exerts authority or influence without having formal status. He gets his position rewarded & goals achieved by others at the front whose strings he pulls: but whilst he reaps benefit, the risks, flak and fall out will fall on others. We see these kind of personalities in company board rooms, in private household (many wives are behind the throne) as well in political organisations. Instead of power comes with responsibility, here power is wielded, responsibility is shoved. Woe betide he who goes to office to make decisions at others behest/influence, takes the blame for others doings, and when he comes home after work faces the same dynamics with the significant other! Predictably his hair will ashen and from that to snowy white.

Ok. So crazyO’mamak said jib’s weak. By that statement he also meant that he, the crazyO’mamak, is strong or more correctly was very very strong during his 22 yrs. Unlike jib, he did not give in to non-umnoputras’ demands easily.

(1) Times have changed. Today we have this thingy called the world wide web. We are better informed. Umno’s politics of misinformation and deception (throught the media) is now quite dead.

(2) We are in the era of reality shows where facing and overcoming extreme fear and punishing challenges are glorified. So umno’s politics of fear could no longer worked its magic like before. May13? Oh WTF!!

(3) Non-existent mca (and of course mic and gerakan too) is one crucial factor. Mca used to serve as a buffer between umno and the chinese (likewise mic, in respect of umno and the indians). When the chinese public screamed “we are mad.” Mca reported it to umno as “they are upset.” And when umno dished out sweets, mca would report it to the chinese as “the best deal ever and a massive success.” Today, precisely because mca no longer exist, umno gets to hear the “we are mad” version directly and not the mca’s edited version of “they are upset.” As a result umno of today is more exposed then before. It is quite naked to direct criticism by the rest of the people.

CrazyO’mamak could act tough during his tenure. But times have changed. Things are no longer the same. Besides, MV U.M.N.O. is now more than half a centuary old. It is time to decommission the vessel before it sinks and brings the whole country down.